The Chinese embassy in Harare came to the defense of a local Chinese tile company accused of forcing its employees to endure “slave-like working conditions.” The embassy published a statement on its website that challenged the authenticity of videos that have been circulating depicting the poor working conditions in the tile company and other Chinese companies. “Obviously, this is an organized and systematic smear campaign against China,” according to the statement.
The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, a labor organization that represents private-sector workers, alleges the tile company in question pays its workers below the minimum and forces them to sleep in unsafe accommodations, among other violations. The embassy rejected the allegations, calling it a “trial by social media.”